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Saturday, 13 March 2010

The return of the Ferryman?

OK here’s the scenario. You run a riverside pub in the middle of Norfolk nowhere. You hope to attract waterborne custom in the summer and you’ll work hard to build a loyal local following. But just across the river is a much bigger potential clientele. They can see your pub, however they can’t easily get there.

...But of course you’re miles ahead of me. We’re talking about Coldham Hall in beautiful, backwater Surlingham – directly opposite richer, yacht-ier Brundall. And the historical answer has always been a ferry as this photo shows. I met new landlord George Linder on Thursday and he raised the possibility of reinstating a shuttle service across the river if things went well. Clearly it can’t be the Linders’ top priority at the moment, but it is a tantalising thought.

*According to my sources the ferry ran until 1973. This picture is clearly earlier. Anyone over 40 got any memories of it? Anyone over 60 out there to help with the identity of the ferryman?

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The Book

The Blog

The blog started as a way of publicising Steve's book on the Wherryman's Way which was published by Halsgrove in 2010. Then it became a way of updating Wherryman's Way walkers. More recently it has spread its wings to the wider Broads. Around 1000 people take a look every month. Steve is now writing a second book provisionally called Riverside Norwich. You can follow his progress on that project here.

The Walk

The Wherryman's Way runs for 35 miles between Norwich and Great Yarmouth, following the route the wherries used to take along the rivers Wensum and Yare. Six years ago I was sitting in the White Horse, Chedgrave wondering why no-one had written a book about it. A few pints later my mates had convinced me I was the man. It was published in May 2010.

Footpath Closures:

Work repairing flood defences means sections of the walk can be closed for months at a time. Get the latest info here.